Extending Sex As an Intergroup Arena: Testing the Mediating Role and Management Of
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Extending Sex as an Intergroup Arena: Testing the Mediating Role and Management of Identity Gaps in Sexual Communication on Relational, Sexual, and Health Outcomes in “Non-Normative” Relationships A dissertation presented to the faculty of the Scripps College of Communication of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy Valerie Rubinsky August 2019 © 2019 Valerie Rubinsky. All Rights Reserved. This dissertation titled Extending Sex as an Intergroup Arena: Testing the Mediating Role and Management of Identity Gaps in Sexual Communication on Relational, Sexual, and Health Outcomes in “Non-Normative” Relationships by VALERIE RUBINSKY has been approved for the School of Communication Studies and the Scripps College of Communication by Angela M. Hosek Associate Professor of Communication Studies Scott Titsworth Dean, Scripps College of Communication ii Abstract RUBINSKY, VALERIE, Ph.D., August 2019, Communication Studies Extending Sex as an Intergroup Arena: Testing the Mediating Role and Management of Identity Gaps in Sexual Communication on Relational, Sexual, and Health Outcomes in “Non-Normative” Relationships Director of Dissertation: Angela M. Hosek Despite sociocultural shifts in sexual politics and perceptions of normativity at the larger cultural levels (Parker, 2010), intergroup communication and interpersonal communication both characterize sexual communication. Intimate interactions are not immune from group-based practices and categorization that filter and influence partnered communication. To address these concerns, this dissertation involved a survey of 689 individuals in intimate relationships for at least three months who believed their relationship was less common or less accepted than other kinds of relationships (i.e., non- normative). Framed through the Communication Theory of Identity (Hecht, 1993), the present study tested the mediating role and management of identity gaps in sexual communication as a vehicle through which to examine the roles of social and personal identity in intimate partner communication. Findings supported the mediating role of identity gaps between communication input variables and satisfaction. In addition, the present study produced a typology of identity gaps in sexual partner communication and describes strategies individuals employ to manage the adverse state of identity gaps in their partner communication. Findings offer support for the contention that sexual partner communication constitutes an intergroup theoretical arena. Practical and scholarly recommendations for future research into this area are outlined. Approaching sexual iii communication as an intergroup arena has the potential to generate more informative research, grow interpersonal and intergroup communication theories, and provide useful insights to practitioners working with sexual activity, sexual identity, and sexual health. iv Acknowledgments I would like to acknowledge the following people and programs for helping to make this dissertation a possibility. As Leslie Knope says, “No one gets anywhere alone.” Of course, I want to thank all of the 689, anonymous people who took time out of their life and participated in this research project. I am especially grateful for those who took the time to write out their very intimate experiences for the sake of this research. Next, I would like to thank those who have helped me grow as a professional: My advisor, committee members, mentors, and department. A sincere and heartfelt thank you to my advisor and mentor, Dr. Angela Hosek, who has consistently gone above and beyond for me in the seven years I have known her. I cannot overstate how significantly Dr. Hosek has impacted my life, helped me to grow as a scholar and teacher, and influenced my own philosophy toward mentoring. I would also like to acknowledge my committee members, Dr. Stephanie Tikkanen, Dr. Charee Thompson, and Dr. Gregory Janson, for time, feedback, and support throughout the dissertation process. I have also benefited immensely from the mentorship and support of Dr. Angela Cooke-Jackson along this journey. Finally, thank you to Dr. Claudia Hale and the Research and Creative Activity Incentive Pool in the School of Communication Studies for financially supporting this project. In addition, I want to acknowledge the people in my personal life who supported and tolerated me while I wrote a dissertation. I would not be who I am or where I am without the consistent, unconditional love and support of my parents, Pamala Rubinsky, R.N. and Dr. Hilly Rubinsky. I also want to acknowledge my partner, Nicole Hudak, M.A., ABD, who wakes up to debating identity theories with me. When we got married, v someone told us that if we can survive writing our dissertations together, we can survive anything. Thank you for filling this time in my life with laughter, love, and more than survival. Finally, I want to thank my best friends, Dani Ross and Meghan White, who listened to me talk about this project for the last six years, shared countless surveys, and never stopped pretending to be interested when I talked about statistics. I love all of you and cannot begin to thank you for your role in making this a reality. vi Table of Contents Page Abstract……...…………………………………………………………………………....iii List of Tables......……………………………………………….………………………...ix List of Figures…………………………………………………………………………......x Chapter 1: Introduction……….…..……………....……………………………………….1 Statement of the Problem…….……………………….………...……..……………….2 An Intergroup Perspective within Sexual Communication……………..……………..8 Sexual Communication and Identity……………………….……………….……...…12 Conceptual Model Overview…………………………….………….………………..15 Chapter 2: Literature Review and Rational…………..………………………………….19 Intergroup and Interpersonal Communication…………..…………………….……...19 Theoretical Framework: The Communication Theory of Identity…...............………27 Sex is Identity-Laden: Sexual Communication and Identity Gaps...…....…………...56 Chapter 3: Methods..……………..……………….…………………….………………101 Recruitment Process and Justification.……....…………..….………………...……101 Data Analysis……………………..……………………….……….……………….118 Chapter 4: CFA and SEM Results………………………………………….…………..121 Confirmatory Factor Analysis Results……………..…..…………………………...121 Structural Equation Model Analysis Results…………………………..…………...143 Chapter 5: Expression and Management of Identity Gaps ……………….…..………..155 A Typology of Identity Gap in Sexual Communication………………………..…..156 Managing Identity Gaps in Sexual Communication……………………….……….187 vii Consequences of Sexual Identity Gaps and On-Going Resolutions……...…..200 Chapter 6: Discussion ……………………………………………………………..….213 Theoretical Contributions: Sex as an Intergroup Arena…..…….…………….213 Identity Gap Descriptions and Management Strategies……….…….………..230 Practical Recommendations……….…………………………………..……...247 Limitations………………….…………….…………………………………..250 Future Research …………….…………………………………….………….255 Conclusion………….…………….…………………………………………………..258 References………………..…………………………………………………………..259 Appendix……………………………………..………………………………………294 viii List of Tables Table 1: Sample Demographic Characteristics……………..……………………......105 Table 2: Summary of Questionnaire Sections….………..…….………….....……….108 Table 3: Open-Ended Questions……………..…………..…………………..……....109 Table 4: Intercorrelations Among Indicator Variables……….……...…………...….126 Table 5: Parcels for Latent Variable Negative Disclosure……………………..........135 Table 6: Parcels for Latent Variable Positive/Neutral Disclosure……………..........135 Table 7: Latent Variables and Corresponding Indicators……………………….…..138 Table 8: Intercorrelations in Final Structural Model…………………………..........146 Table 9: Structural Parameter Estimates – Direct Effects………………….….........147 Table 10: Estimates for Latent Indicators and Residual Parameters…………..........148 Table 11: Variables Predicting Health Protective Sexual Communication…............152 Table 12: Typology of Sexual Identity Gaps in Non-Normative Relationships…….157 Table 13: Resolving Identity Gaps………………….…………………....….............187 Table 14: Consequences of Sexual Identity Gaps………………………..…………..201 ix List of Figures Figure 1: Conceptual Model…………………….…….……………….…….………....16 Figure 2: Intergroup-Interpersonal Communication Quadrants……........………….......24 Figure 3: Hypothesized Model…………...…………………………………...……….100 Figure 4: Respecified Hypothesized Model……………...…….………...………….…142 Figure 5: Results of Hypothesized Model Testing…………...............…………….…..145 x 1 Chapter 1: Introduction Intimate communication about sex may appear as a conversational domain characterized by the idiosyncratic preferences that emerge in a developed relational culture. In other words, we often assume conversations about sexual activity with a close romantic partner emerge based solely on the unique relational history and personal characteristics of the individuals in those relationships. However, I contend that individual and group-based identities filter even the most intimate interpersonal communication experiences, in particular those about sex between long-term relational partners. Sexual communication implicates personal identity, an individual’s sense of self, in its inherent vulnerability (Cupach & Metts, 1994; Noland, 2010), and social group identity in its ability to affirm or challenge the way individuals come to see themselves as members of sexual and gender, among other, social groups, which manifests in partner communication (Greene & Faulkner, 2005; Rubinsky & Cooke-Jackson, 2018; Savin-